10 Fastest 10K Road Races in Europe

10 – Serris-Val d’Europe & Marseille 10K

With the joint fastest 10K times ever run on French soil, these two races share the number 10 spot. Unfortunately for anybody hoping to take part in one next year, both of them no longer take place.

9 – Great Manchester Run

Manchester, United Kingdom
Course Record – 27:21

The biggest race here by a significant margin and the only one from the UK, the Great Manchester Run is a fast course perfect for those who thrive on the busy atmosphere. The 2014 edition of the race had over 40,000 finishers! Despite being just 9th on this list, only the #1 and #2 ranked races have been host to more sub-28 performances (Manchester has 19 in total).

8 – Paderborn Osterlauf

Paderborn, Germany
Course Record – 27:18

The second fastest Road 10K in Germany, Paderborn’s Osterlauf or ‘Easter Run’ is one of the smaller races on this list. Benard Kimeli’s winning time of 27:18 last year has helped to put the race on the map, so expect more fast times here in the coming years.

7 – Grand 10 Berlin

Berlin, Germany
Course Record – 27:12

Probably one of the most consistent races on the list. Every year since 2010, the winning time has been 27:50 or quicker. Furthermore, Joyce Chepkirui’s 2013 winning time of 30:37 would make it the 4th fastest European 10K if we used women’s course records instead.

6 – Tilburg 10K

Tilburg, Netherlands
Course Record – 27:09

The city that recently hosted the European Cross Country Championships is no stranger to elite athletes. The 10K takes place on the same day as the Tilburg 10 Miles, which is the main focus, but the 10K route has seen fast winning times in the past, especially on the women’s side – where Tirunesh Dibaba ran 30:30 here, which is one of the fastest times ever. In fact, taking only women’s times, Tilburg would actually be ranked 3rd in this list.

5 – Cursa de Bombers

Barcelona, Spain
Course Record – 27:04

The 2010 Cursa de Bombers winning time of 27:04 by Kenya’s Josphat Menjo is one of the fastest runs ever over 10km. However, since 2011 it has become a domestic race despite using the same fast course. This means whilst the Course Record is unlikely to be broken, it’s still open for everybody else to have a crack at running one of the fastest 10km routes in the world.Link to Website

4 – Parelloop

Brunssum, Netherlands
Course Record – 27:01

The second of three dutch races on the list, The Netherlands is certainly living up to it’s status as one of the flattest countries on the planet. The Parelloop (Pearl Run) regularly sees winning times under 28-minutes, although a drop in recent years suggests the race may be losing popularity. Micah Kogo’s 2009 clocking of 27:01 was a world record at the time, proving the course has the potential to be fast!Link to Website

3 – San Silvestre Vallecana

Madrid, Spain
Course Record – 26:54

The only race in history to see multiple men break the 27-minute barrier after Eliud Kipchoge and Zersenay Tadese were separated by a photo finish here in 2006. At the time of writing, the 2018 edition of this race is yet to take place and on the startlist, Joshua Cheptegei is being tipped to challenge the course record on Monday. The course has a net drop of approximately 55m and is therefore not record legal, but if you’re just looking for a personal best, this could be the race for you.Link to Website

2 – Prague Grand Prix

Prague, Czech Republic
Course Record – 26:46

With 44 sub-28 performances in the history of the race, this is the most by a huge margin and more than double the closest rival. If we went by women’s course records, Prague would be number one on the list. In fact, seven of the top 10 women’s times ever were run at the Prague 10K. As the fastest 10K in the world this year by 30-seconds thanks to Rhonex Kipruto, perhaps we will see the Prague Grand Prix jump into the top spot by this time next year.Link to Website

1 – Singelloop Utrecht

Utrecht, Netherlands
Course Record – 26:44

Not only the fastest 10K in Europe, but the fastest in the world! In a year where records have fallen over 15K, 10 Miles, Half Marathon and Marathon, Leonard Komon’s World Record at the 2010 Utrecht 10k is standing up to the test of time. It’s no fluke however, as there have been a total of 20 sub-28 runs at this race (only Prague has more).Link to Website